


It Was Just A Joke At First

by TH3_GH0ST_K1NG



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: ADHD, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Monsters, Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, Anxiety Disorder, Background Poly, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Canonical Character Death, Eventual Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Gay, Gay Rights, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Sex, Innuendo, M/M, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Stimming, Supportive Will Solace, Trans Male Character, Trans Nico di Angelo, anxiety tics, unsafe binding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-28 21:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30146091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TH3_GH0ST_K1NG/pseuds/TH3_GH0ST_K1NG
Summary: two strangers, only united by the college they go to- and their... strange parental situation, but that's besides the point. so what would happen if they decided to go to couples therapy and pretend to have been dating for years? that's exactly what they want to find out.(lowercase intended)
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Silena Beauregard/Charles Beckendorf/Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez
Comments: 13
Kudos: 29





	1. one - "...sure!"

**Author's Note:**

> once again, i don't know what i'm doing. i just REALLY wanted to do something with the "couples therapy with a stranger" prompt. unedited- please be gentle lmao  
> also, i've barely read any of will, so i apologize if he's ooc! ^^;

nico was sitting alone in the commons, as usual. he was reading a large book, roughly 700 pages, printed in italian so nobody could successfully snoop over his shoulder. his lungs were aching slightly, as he had fallen asleep in his binder and hadn't bothered to take it off when he woke up. he didn't care. nobody else cared. the only person who stopped him from misusing his binder before was his sister bianca, and she was dead, so it didn't really matter anymore. no one else on this campus even knew he was trans.

suddenly, though, nico was startled out of his thoughts by someone loudly setting their bag down in front of him. he jumped and slammed his book down, then muttered "cazzo!" as he realized that he hadn't bookmarked his page. the pale boy cracked his knuckles and looked up, his gaze immediately fixing onto the human equivalent of a golden retriever.

he had golden, curly hair, loose and slightly frizzy, as if the boy hadn't even bothered to comb through it when he woke up. his eyes were a startling shade of steel blue, contrasting with his tanned skin that looked as if he had just come back from the beach. freckles were perfectly splattered across his cheeks and nose. he had a somewhat stocky build, with wide-set shoulders and big, calloused hands with long fingers.

"hi," he stated cheerfully, holding out his hand for nico to shake. "my name's will. will solace."

nico stared at his hand, then pushed it aside. "good for you, dude," he said sarcastically, his voice still rough from the sleepless night he'd had. "what does that have to do with me?"

the boy- will- pouted. he lowered his hand. "i have an idea," he said slowly, "and i think it would be really fun, but if i did it with someone i know, it wouldn't work."

"you're not getting a one night stand out of me, if that's what you're trying to say."

will's ears and cheeks turned bright red- nearly as red as the half-empty monster can sat beside nico's bookmark. "wh- no! no, no, no, no, that's not at all what i was trying to ask!" he stuttered, holding his hands up in defense.

nico's lips turned upwards into a smile. "it was a joke, wonder boy." he snickered. "anyways, what's your totally kid-friendly idea that would only work with the random guy who has gay pride pins on his bag?"

will- still as red as before, if not even redder- coughed. "i was thinking of going to couples therapy," he explained sheepishly, "but with a stranger. like, total stranger. we only know each other's names, ages, numbers, and a few boundaries and random things. nothing else."

well.

nico wasn't expecting to be intrigued by this kid's offer.

"actually," he said, picking up his monster and taking a leisurely sip, "that... doesn't sound half bad. but who would the therapist be?"

"my friend!" will brightened. "that's why it would only work with a stranger. she would know if i showed up with one of my friends." he shrugged. "plus, it'd be more fun if it was with a stranger."

nico nodded, contemplating. "so you picked me because..?"

the blonde went pink again. "well..." he cleared his throat awkwardly. his hands reached up to mess with the buttons on his flannel. "see, the thing is.. you're... kinda.. my type..."

there was a long silence between the two of them. then nico snorted. "dude. seriously? damn, that sucks for you." he reached up and pulled on his beanie, shifting it to cover most of his hair. the bottom tufts of his mullet poked out from the sides, and stray pieces of his bangs fell forward and into his dark eyes.

will stiffened. "no, not really," he said. "i mean, i dunno WHY i think being an emo disaster is attractive, but i do, so." he shrugged. "actually- i think it's because i grew up in the south, and i'm used to having to date guys that look like my brothers. i guess i just like seeing guys who look like the opposite of me in a good way."

then he seemed to realize he was rambling. he held up a hand. "but, point is- piper, my friend, she knows my type. she wouldn't doubt it if i came in one day and introduced you as my boyfriend."

nico nodded. "hm. alright. i'm in. so, tell me some basic things about yourself, and then i'll do the same, and then we'll exchange numbers and talk boundaries. then after that we'll schedule."

will beamed. "sure!" he exclaimed breezily. "my name's william, but obviously i go by will. i have tons and tons of half siblings, but i live alone right now. my favorite colors are yellow and silver, i'm 22, uh.. i make music for a living! oh, also- apollo is my dad."

he winced, as if he expected nico to be shocked by that last one. instead, the pale boy just shrugged. 

"cool. my name is nico, and, uh, i go by nico. i have one half-sister, technically, and i had a sister, but..." he trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes. there was a deep, old sadness in his gaze. then he cleared his throat. "i live alone too, in a one room apartment up 22nd street. my favorite colors are black and purple, but i like green too. i'm 21, and i make custom dolls and stuffed animals for a living. i deliver 'em myself by shadow-walking. hades is my dad, so."

"hades?" will's eyes light up like the sea in direct sunlight. "you're the son of hades? that's so cool!" he grinned. "yeah, piper will definitely not suspect a thing. by the way, though, she's the daughter of aphrodite, so we gotta be careful with keeping the lie up. she can charmspeak us really easily."

"mm," nico replied helpfully, nodding. "thanks for letting me know. that's important." he reached over to his bag and pulled out two pens and a red notebook. he ripped out two pieces of paper, handing will one of them along with a pen. "here, write your number down, and i'll do the same."

will nodded, muttering a quick thanks, and wrote his number quickly. the sound of the pen tip against the paper made his shoulder-blades itch in a good way; his free hand tapped against the table as he wrote. nico slid the slip of paper he had written on. "there you go. my number and my discord, in case you have it. i gotta get going, though, i'm behind on shipping out orders."

will added nico's number to his phone and sent him a quick text so that they both had the number. "see you later, then, neeks."

"don't call me that, solace."

\--

unknown number: hihihello this is will c:

(contact name changed to: solace)

nico: hey

solace: ok so how r we gonna do this

nico: what do you mean?

solace: the therapy appt

solace: like when r u free 2 go

nico: dio santo, the way you text is hell for my dyslexia

(contact name changed to: coglione)

nico: anyways, i'm free on saturdays and most mondays-wednesdays

coglione: okokok kool!! also abt the dyslexia thing ik and im sorry but im lazy xd

nico: if you ever say "xd" again i'm blocking you

coglione: u wouldnt

nico: don't test me <3

coglione: oof nvm then

nico: :)

coglione: y r u so scarryyyyyy D:

nico: thought i was your type, lover boy

coglione: u r but still

nico: lmao

nico: but yeah basically any time after 2:30 pm on saturday, monday-wednesday will probably work for me

coglione: koolio!! so how abt this sat @ 3:00? i can drive us over there

nico: yeah, if i'm awake that'll work

coglione: ok how abt u txt me when u wake up on sat and that way ill kno if we need 2 reschedule

nico: yeah sure

coglione: kk! :D

coglione: while were here, do u have anything else important 2 tell me?

nico hesitated, staring at his phone screen. he left out the fact that he was trans on purpose- for a lot of reasons, mainly the fact that he knew apollo was the god of medicine and that will would not be hesitant to make him follow safe binding rules.

nico: no

coglione: u sure? it toom u a while 3 reply

coglione: took*

coglione: 2*

nico: that's just because you can't spell my dude

coglione: D:

nico: <3

\--

nico arrived back home late. he had stayed at leo's workshop to finish some designs, and then he had burnt himself out delivering like ten different orders in a raw without the help of any nectar, ambrosia, or mortal transportation. his entire body ached from exhaustion, his muscles sore from overworking his body far past its limit. his lungs and ribs were burning from his binder, and his hair was dripping sweat into his eyes, causing them to sting from more than just the long for sleep.

he peeled off his shoes, his pants, his hoodie, his binder, and finally his underwear and his packer. he changed into a pair of fresh boxers and an oversized t-shirt. he pulled his beanie off, not even bothering to plug his phone in before falling into his bed and passing out immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations for nico:  
> cazzo - shit  
> dio santo - oh my god  
> coglione - moron


	2. two - the start

the morning came far too quickly for nico's liking. it was friday, which meant he couldn't sleep in. he sighed as he sat up, rubbing his eyes harshly. 

his chest hurt far too much for him to put his binder back on- hell, it hurt too much for him to put on a bra- so he just went with an oversized hoodie, some jeans, and his dirty black high-top shoes.

he readjusted his ring- a thick loop of braided copper, already a bit oxidized in some places, resting comfortably on his left ring finger. it had been a parting gift from bianca, one of the only things he had left of her after she chose rebirth. he wore it all the time, unless he knew it would get wet. 

he combed through his dark hair with his fingers and then checked his phone. the first notification was a text from will.

coglione: gm!! c: i just noticed that we never talked abt boundaries n such lol, do u wanna meet up sometime 2day 2 discuss?

nico squinted at his phone screen. he could barely read will's messages when he was awake, let alone when he had just woken up. 

nico: sure, i guess. when are you free?

as soon as he set his phone down, it vibrated again.

coglione: im free most of 2day! wbu? ^^

nico: i'm really only available at, like... noon. and only for half an hour

coglione: y?

nico: i have a lot of classes today, and i spend 12:30-1:45 making and sending out orders

coglione: o!! kool! no worries c: we can meet @ 12, same table as yesterday?

nico: sure

coglione: koolio! ill c u there

nico: dio santo, learn some grammar

\--

most of nico's classes were boring- except for his psychology class. he had always liked psychology. and, since it was his last class before noon, he went out to meet will in a surprisingly good mood.

"hey," he said breezily as he sat across from the blonde.

"neeks! hi!" will replied, excitement charged in every letter.

"i told you not to call me that," the italian grumbled, but will waved it off.

"yeah, yeah, whatever." he replied. "anyways, you said we only have half an hour, so we gotta make this quick! what are the things i absolutely cannot joke about or say?"

nico was silent for a moment, contemplating. "hm." he said at last. "don't make jokes about my sister, obviously, uh.. nothing transphobic-"

"are you trans?" will asked, his eyebrows furrowed. nico tensed, looking at him coldly, and will realized he had cut him off. "sorry! i just- y'know, usually when people tell me their limits when it comes to jokes they don't mention transphobia unless they're trans."

"i have trans friends," nico lied. he barely had any friends, and the few he had were all cis. "and i care about them a lot. so i don't take transphobic jokes lightly. or just transphobia in general."

will nodded. "sorry, that was- a dumb question. i shouldn't have asked." he sighed, shaking his head. "my dad is the father of trans individuals, so i get a bit.. i dunno how to describe it. eager? defensive? eh- it's dumb. either way, i get it. anything else?"

nico nodded. "don't beat yourself up over it, solace, it's chill. uh... i mean, obviously nothing homophobic, but i don't really think that you would do that anyways. don't touch me. like. anywhere. except MAYBE my shoulder. but- general rule of thumb. don't touch me. uh... i think that's it. i might be wrong, though."

there was a pause, as if will somewhat expected nico to continue, and then he nodded. "alright. gotcha. uh... my boundaries are basically, just... don't make fun of the things i really can't control. y'know? like, a lot of people seem to expect me to be good at everything, and then they ridicule me when i'm not."

there was a pang of sympathy in nico's chest as he looked up at will. for once, will wasn't staring at him. instead his sharp blue eyes were focused on his hands, which were tightly folded and set on the table in front of him. 

"and, also, just.. be gentle? y'know, i'm a person. i have issues, i have things that keep me from being okay. i'm tired of people thinking i'm always okay, all the time, just because my dad is apollo."

this time, nico reached out, setting his hand overtop will's. the difference between the sizes of their hands was almost comical, and nico would've laughed if it hadn't been such a serious moment. "i get it." he said softly. "i know."

will nodded, then cleared his throat. "you won't break those rules, then, will you?"

"wouldn't dream of it." nico promised. will looked up at him, a grateful expression painted clearly on his face.

they sat in silence for a while, until nico's phone started vibrating and quietly playing "deep purple" by larry clinton. nico jumped and quickly went to turn it off.

"sorry," he coughed after it had been deactivated. "that's, uh.. that's my alarm."

his face was red, and he was staring intently at the ground. whether he was embarrassed about the alarm, or what had just happened between the two, will didn't know. hell, nico didn't even know. he tucked his phone into his bag and stood up. "anyways- i have to go. i'll, uh, i'll see you tomorrow."

"yeah." will nodded, smiling up at nico. "tomorrow."

\--

it was tomorrow.

thankfully, nico was able to put his binder on this time. he got ready as he usually does, sending will a text to let him know that he was awake, and then he ran out really quickly to grab some breakfast. after that, he met will at their usual table, and they started walking to will's car.

"so, you ready?" will asked once he started driving.

nico shrugged. "i mean, i showed up, didn't i?" he asked, hoping it was obvious that he was just joking. thankfully, will laughed.

"i guess you're right," the blonde replied, shooting him a quick smile before refocusing on the road. "piper's not gonna expect anything, as long as we can keep up the act."

"yeah." nico said. he couldn't help but smile at the concept of this piper girl trying desperately to fix a relationship that didn't exist.

but, then again...

"will?"

will perked up. he looked over at nico, confusion in his eyes, clearly wondering what was so important that nico would call him by his first name. "yeah?"

"is piper good at her job?"

"yeah, really good."

"what if.. what if she actually manages to get us to fall in love?"

will laughed. "trust me, nico," he said as he turned into the parking lot.

"that won't happen."


	3. three - the first appointment

"it's just- it's like you don't even know me!" will said, tears of amusement glistening in his eyes. he was pretending they were tears of anguish. 

"okay, you two," piper said nervously, looking between the pair. she was twisting her wedding ring around her finger; something will had mentioned she did when she was nervous or frustrated. she had been doing it throughout the entire meeting.

nico looked up for the first time in a good while, staring at her with fake desperation in his eyes. she didn't seem to notice it was fake.

"we can fix this," piper said, trying to keep her voice calm and even. "okay? we might have to have some one-on-one sessions, but we can work this out."

she was using her charmspeak, nico noticed. her voice sounded richer, sweeter, and her words were more compelling than they were before. he allowed himself to lower his guard and give into her words just enough for her to believe that he genuinely wanted his 'relationship' with will to get better.

will didn't.

"b-but-" he blubbered, "but what if we can't? pipes, please! i don't wanna have to- to break up with nico, or something! but if we can't fix it-"

"will, shut up," piper demanded, with so much force that the blonde's mouth shut seemingly against his will. "and don't call me 'pipes'."

she refocused her attention onto nico, eyeing him curiously. "tell me, nico," she said after a moment, "if you're the son of hades, what about will drew you in?"

nico sat back and stared at the ceiling, trying to think of a sensible answer. he knew the story will had made up- he and nico had met from getting paired together for an english project, and they'd just hit it off. realistic enough, he supposed. i mean, piper had believed it.

"well," he said, "he was just.. so bright. you know? not just smart. he just... he had this glow. being the son of the god of the dead, you get used to darkness and despair. it's just your life. you adjust. y'know? but will..." nico paused, looking up at him. will was staring at him with a peculiar expression. there was something in his eyes, but nico couldn't pinpoint what. "he was the opposite of everything i was used to, in the best way."

a long silence settled over the three as nico and will stared at one another.

"also, i thought his accent was really cute." nico said after a moment, smirking at will.

will scoffed. "for the millionth time, i don't even HAVE that much of an accent! you're just northern!"

"say 'orange'." nico countered.

"orange." will said.

"AHRRange," nico mocked, wrinkling his nose up and grinning up at him.

"i don't say ahrrange! i say orange!" will cried, shaking his hands in front of his face as if he wanted to grab nico's shoulders.

"...you do kinda say 'ahrrange'," piper snickered. will threw his hands up and leaned back against his seat, sighing in exasperation.

"damn," he muttered. "even my own friend mocks me."

"i love how you value your friend's opinion more than mine." nico commented, smirking over at him.

"well, that's not true," will insisted. "usually i value you and my friends equally, but you CONSTANTLY poke fun at my nonexistant accent, so therefore piper confiriming that you're correct hurts more than YOU saying you're correct."

nico was about to retort, but piper raised a hand to cut him off. "anyways," she said stiffly, "accents aside, it does sound like you two have chemistry. you clearly want to work. that's good. you can get through this. how about we have a few more sessions altogether, and then we schedule some one-on-ones?"

will and nico glanced at one another. that look was back in will's eyes. it was so annoying to nico that he couldn't seem to grasp what it was.

"sure." they said at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no real notes i just really love this chapter lmao


	4. four - making plans

coglione: lmaoooo that went way better than i expected!! ur a better acter then u let on

coglione: actor*

nico: thanks

nico: you're not half bad yourself

coglione: ty!! :DD

nico: don't mention it i guess?

coglione: so u already kno we have another appt next tues

nico: yeah

coglione: r u comfy with just making it up or would u wanna have like a script of sorts? lol

nico: uh

nico: i mean i really don't care

coglione: so then u wouldn't mind if we made a script?

nico: no, not really

nico: i'm fine with whatever tbh

coglione: awesome!!! c: so how abt u come over to my place tmrw and we set it up?

nico: whoa, wait

coglione: ?

nico: since when was i getting invited to your house?

coglione: since now?????

nico: but why? doesn't the table we have work fine?

coglione: well yea but theres just alot of ppl

coglione: itd be better if we were alone imo

nico: dude, this isn't some fanfic

nico: i'm not gonna go somewhere alone with you, we literally met three days ago

coglione: u dont trust me? :'c

nico: you're a man

nico: you're older than me

nico: you're taller than me

nico: you're stronger than me

nico: of course i don't trust you

coglione: ...

coglione: fair enuf

nico: jesus christ

coglione: but still u c my point rite

nico: i mean yeah, kind of

coglione: so wat if we went to ur place instead?? u said u live in an apartment

nico: yeah, i do

nico: why does that matter

coglione: bc u have close neighbors!!

coglione: so wed be alone but like not

nico: well yeah but

coglione: but???

nico: my place is really messy :/

coglione: u said it was 1 room that isnt that hard 2 clean

nico: ...one BEDROOM. not one room.

coglione: o

coglione: still tho

nico: i mean, fine

coglione: :D!!!

coglione: so tmrw @.. 2? 3?

nico: 4

coglione: 4! tmrw @ 4 :)

nico: yeah, it's not far from campus

nico: meet me at the table and we can walk there

coglione: ok c:

\--

nico had to get cleaning.

his apartment was covered in trash and clothes that he had strewn about from his last depressive episode and never bothered to pick up. there were crumbs everywhere, all over the furniture. cups still half-filled with soda and old plates of partially eaten food laid around on coffee tables and counters. there was a trash bag filled with worn-out binders beside the door. and speaking of...

there was a trans pride flag hanging on the door. he had a collection of various pride pins- trans, queer, demiromantic, mlm- all of which had been haphazardly dropped and scattered over any and all flat surfaces in the apartment. nico wasn't sure if he had the space to hide all of it.

not that he had to hide ALL of it, but still.

he sighed, deciding he would start in the living room and work his way back to his bedroom. he changed out of what he was wearing, replacing his binder, hoodie and jeans with a loose bra, oversized shirt and worn-out leggings splattered with paint.

\--

the good news? three hours into cleaning the living room, he got an adhd kick. the bad news? in those three hours he had only made more of a mess because he got distracted every other second.

nico sighed, sitting in the center of the madness, and eventually managing to find his phone and call leo.

"hey, sexy," leo said into the phone, causing nico to snort.

"shut up, dude," he muttered, and leo laughed.

"alright, damn. what's up?"

"i need help." nico sighed. "you know piper, right?"

"mclean?" leo asked. "yeah, i know her. is it true you have a boyfriend now?"

"yeah," nico lied, "and he's coming over tomorrow and i can't clean this entire apartment on my own."

"oh."

"i'm really sorry, leo, but if you don't mind-"

"no worries, no worries," he said breezily. "hakuna matata, man, i'll be right over."

"thank you," nico whispered, to which leo (poorly) sang the chorus of 'hakuna matata'.

\--

with leo there, it was significantly easier. leo had pretty severe adhd, just like nico, and he also understood that nico had had a pretty shit life, so he didn't judge.

"hey man," he would say whenever nico apologized, "i've made rooms look worse."

they decided to clean the living room together, leo took the kitchen- "there's lots of machinery there, it's my natural habitat"- and nico cleaned up his room.

he had found an old box in the spare closet while they had been cleaning, so he used that to take down and hide all of the trans pride things he had. leo asked him why, but when nico explained, leo seemed to understand.

"you should tell him soon, though," the boy said, scratching the back of his slightly pointed ear. "he deserves to know, and he could help with your transition. apollo kid and all."

"yeah, that's actually exactly why i held off." nico grumbled. "he would force me to bind safely, which is bullshit."

"if you want top surgery, you should take it more seriously."

"you sound like bianca."

"sensible and correct? yeah, guess you're right."

nico stared at the ground. leo sighed. "listen, man, i know you're hesitant about letting yourself get comfortable. but that doesn't mean you have to make yourself suffer. you gotta be careful, y'know? if you wanna trust this guy, you have to trust him with that. especially since it'll affect the relationship."

there was a silence, long and heavy. eventually, nico's shoulders caved. he gave a heavy sigh. "i know, leo." he muttered. "it's just- a long story." he finished folding his trans flag up, setting it in the box on top of all his pins and bracelets. 

"yeah, i feel that." leo said, wiping off his hands. "also, can i mess with your sink? it's working fine, but i can make it work better."

nico looked over at him, his nose wrinkled. "no. i'm not gonna let you fuck up my sink again."

"i didn't even fuck it up!" leo pleaded. "your landlord is just a dick!"

"listen, my landlord IS a dick, but i can genuinely see why he didn't want my sink to have the ability to shoot lazers."

"you're no fun, neeks."

"don't call me neeks!"

\--

will stepped inside the apartment, and nico followed. he was holding his breath, messing with his ring and his yin-yang necklace.

"nice place." will said lightly. "i hope you didn't put yourself through too much trouble cleaning up just for me."

nico shrugged. "eh. i had a friend help, so it was more bearable than usual." he headed towards the kitchen. "can i get you anything to eat or drink?"

"nah, i'm good." will said, sitting down on the living room couch.

nico came over and sat down beside him. "so, any ideas for this 'script'?"

will pulled out his phone from his bag. "any? more like how many?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, i haven't read all of HoO or ToA but i just have a soft spot for the concept of nico and leo being best friends whether or not its canon so that's what you're getting


	5. five - the private session

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ  
> ok. so first: this chapter takes place a month after the previous chapter because i have NO clue how to write development. :)  
> second: would you guys like a chapter following will? most of these have centered around nico, and having will's perspective for a chapter or two could be nice. what do you guys think?
> 
> cw; deadnaming (in a flashback), octavian

"alright," piper sighed, sitting across from nico, "hello, mr. di angelo. may i call you nico?"

"you have been," nico rolled his eyes, "so i don't understand why you're getting all formal now."

piper shrugged. "never hurts to ask. anyways, nico, will told me some things in our one-on-one that i'd like your opinion on." she opened her notebook and took out a pen.

"sure. hopefully he didn't say anything bad, though," nico said, a bit of tension in his voice. he had had a rough day with shipping out orders and snappy customers, so he used that exhaustion in his favor.

"oh, no! 'course not. he loves you a lot, nico," piper assured, "he just said a few things that interested me. for starters- you two don't live together?" she put her pen on the page, looking at him expectantly.

"uh, no, we don't." nico confessed. "my sister hazel comes over to visit sometimes, and she doesn't know i'm gay, so that was mainly my reasoning for wanting to live alone. well... there is something else, too, but he wouldn't have known about that."

after piper finished scribbling some words down onto the paper, she raised an eyebrow at him. "and that thing is?"

nico sighed heavily. he twisted his ring and stared at the floor. "you're not gonna break confidentiality about this, will you?" he asked quietly.

concern laced itself into piper's features. "unless someone is getting hurt, then no."

nico fiddled with his ring even more. "i'm trans, and he doesn't know." he admitted. there was an alarm going off in his head- this isn't in the script, this isn't in the script- but he didn't have the energy to care right now. piper was silent for a minute or two.

"alright. a trans woman, or-?"

"no, trans guy." nico said lightly. "i wouldn't have gotten into a serious relationship with him if i was a woman, y'know?"

piper nodded, writing more in her notebook. "mm, alright. and you haven't come out yet because..?"

"i just don't want him to know." nico said. piper looked up at him confusedly, and nico held up a hand. "i know, i know! but like... i'd rather be stealth than publicly out. and since i don't really care whether or not i have a sexual relationship, it wouldn't necessarily affect him unless we chose to have that type of relationship. you know?"

piper sat silently for a while, writing in her notebook. "i understand. and i know that you have heard this, but hopefully soon you should tell him. i know will. he genuinely wouldn't care. you can tell him during an appointment, if you want."

nico's heart ached. he wanted so badly to do that- he figured it was just piper's charmspeak making him think that why, only the people he truly loved and trusted got to know he was trans. that and therapists. but he shook off the idea, because he couldn't afford to fuck up the script any more than he already had. "no," he mumbled, "i'd rather do it alone if i ever come out to him."

piper nodded. "i get that. would you mind if i move on?"

"please do."

"alright." piper turned the page. "will also mentioned something about him wanting to move in with you? has he talked to you about that?"

it took a minute, but nico's memory came back. "yeah," he said, remembering the script, "yeah, he mentioned it a few months ago." he started picking at his fingernails. "it's actually why we started coming to therapy- one of the reasons, anyways. he wanted to move in but i was afraid of accidentally outing myself to hazel, and i like space."

that last bit was an add-on; he thought piper would believe it. she did. she wrote it down, and nico reevaluated his statement. that last part seems true to most people- hell, it probably was something will believed- but it wasn't entirely true.

\--

nico was laying on the chest of his then-boyfriend, octavian, his eyes closed as he listened intently to octavian's heartbeat. his hands were messing with nico's black hair, and he was humming a tune. it wasn't a song he knew, but it was nice and calming. nico found himself falling asleep on the 'prophet's' chest.

"i love you, margaret."

"mm, you too."

damn apollo descendants.

\--

"nico? nico, hey." piper was waving her hands in front of his eyes. nico shook himself and blinked, staring up at her. "hm? sorry."

"it's alright. we're out of time, though." piper said softly, giving him a smile that he had seen all too many times. "should we schedule another one-on-one or..?"

"actually, i think we should have a two-on-one session next week." nico said. "let me text will real quick to see what he thinks."

nico: hey bitch

nico: would you wanna meet with piper and i next week or would you want a one-on-one session?

coglione: a 2-1 wood work pretty well imo

coglione: up 2 u tho c:

(contact name changed to: solace)

nico: aight, so a two-on-one

solace: yea!!

nico put his phone away. "a two-on-one."

piper nodded, marking that down. "you two have been scheduled for tuesday at 6:00, does that work?"

"yeah." nico said. "and we're paying at the end of the month, right?"

"yep! have a good night, nico."

"you too, piper."


	6. six - the visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nobody answered whether or not they would want a chapter following will's perspective, so i'm doing it anyways because f y'all /t /nm

it had been a pretty good day.

will and nico had another two-on-one session, which were getting funnier now that they're both comfortable, and will had also gotten to see his little siblings.

he took a shower, changed his clothes, and decided to go to bed. he hadn't eaten dinner, but he wasn't hungry. he figured forcing himself to eat wouldn't go too well.

as soon as he laid down, relief surged over him. he had been doing so much, all day- college, then recording, then therapy, then entertaining his siblings- it was nice to just lay down for once and rest.

he closed his eyes and was out in minutes.

\--

and then he woke up again, in darkness.

he sat up and rubbed his eyes, staring around confusedly. he checked his clock- 4:21 a.m? he didn't have to be awake for another two hours. usually, he didn't wake up until his alarm went off. why is today different?

"hello, william solace," a woman's voice echoed. it filled the room, shocking will so bad he nearly fell out of his bed.

"who are you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "what- what do you want?"

there was a bright light, so bright even will couldn't bear to look, and when it cleared, there was a woman standing in front of his bed.

she had long, flowing brown hair and kind- but cold- brown eyes. she was dressed in thin layers of pink and white silk, wrapped around her frame very nicely. she had a pink shawl around her arms, and she was messing with her bracelets. her nails were painted a lovely shade of baby pink.

will might have been gay, but he could admit- she was beautiful. in fact, her beauty had such an aura there was a pink glow all around her. the smell of roses and vanilla filled the air.

"is it not obvious?" she asked softly, tilting her head. some of her chocolate brown hair tumbled off her shoulders and down her back.

it took him a second, because he was still tired, but when he thought about it, he gasped. "lady aphrodite." he mumbled, getting himself out of bed and kneeling.

he probably looked ridiculous. no shirt, oversized sweatpants, messy hair that was still slightly damp from the shower he had taken.

"oh, please," aphrodite purred, brushing his hair out of his face, "get up, love."

will stood, wobbled a bit, and then slowly got back into bed. he took one of his throw blankets and wrapped it around his torso, seeming to notice the lack of cloth on his chest for the first time.

"my lady," he spoke after a moment, "why would you visit me and not your own daughter? i am honored, of course. but piper-"

"ah, piper." aphrodite said with a smile. "my sweet girl." she took her hair into her hands and started absentmindedly braiding it as she looked around will's room. "i already have visited her tonight. she isn't aware of the visit, but that's... that's for the best." there was sadness in her eyes for a moment. but only a moment.

"but, i do have a respect for apollo and his children," she said, turning to will. she tied off the braid she had created with a pink silk ribbon. "apollo is the second most beautiful god, after all, it's only fair that i give him and his family my regards."

she sat at the edge of will's bed. "which is why i'm here." she gave him another smile. her eyes darkened, and her canines seemed to sharpen just a bit. for a moment, will noticed, she looked almost like nico.

and then his face faded away, leaving only hers. "i want to give you a gift." she said, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. "a vision of your future with the one you are destined to love."

will's eyebrows raised. he leaned forward, slowly. "you'd do that for me?" he asked quietly. his eyes were shining with curiosity.

"yes, of course! you've spent quite a bit of time with them, after all."

will's heart skipped a beat. "wait, wait, wait." he muttered, pulling away and sitting against the back of his bed. "okay, wait. i have a soulmate. and.. and i've been around him? a lot?"

aphrodite nodded. "oh, yes. but no matter. time is being wasted by this conversation, william solace. do you want to see the vision or not?"

"yes!" will answered so quickly it almost felt like he wasn't the one talking. he leaned forward again, and aphrodite placed her hands on his face. she leaned forward, touching her forehead to his. there was a bright flash, and then darkness.

\--

will was standing in a room, watching himself get ready for bed.

he barely looked any older- 26, 27, maybe. there were faint crows feet around his eyes. he was taking off his shirt. as will looked closer at the older version of himself, he noticed a few interesting things:  
-he was wearing a thick silver ring on his right ring finger.  
-he had on a yin-yang necklace identical to nico's.  
-there was a tattoo on his bicep. when will looked closer, he noticed that it was a skull with beams of sunlight streaming out of it.  
-a few streaks of his hair were white.

will- the older will- took off his shirt, his shoes, and finally went over to the bed.

he climbed in and lay down, throwing his arm over... was that..? no. no, it couldn't be.

it was.

vision will threw his arm over nico's lap. nico was writing something in a notebook. he paused to look down at will, smiling lovingly at him. he set down his journal and pen on the nightstand, messing with will's hair.

the current will stared, his head spinning. there was so much going on, he didn't understand. he backed up against the wall and took a good look at nico. nico had the same ring, the same tattoo- this time on his wrist, the same white streaks in his hair. his yin-yang necklace was on the nightstand. 

"lay down, babe," vision will whined. he looked up at vision nico and pouted. nico laughed.

"in a minute." nico said, retrieving his pen and notebook. "i'm not done writing."

"you say that every night!"

"because every night it's true!"

will groaned. "darlin', pleeeeaaaassee? for cuddles?" he asked, pouting again. nico paused.

"convincing, but not yet." nico kept scribbling in the notebook. after a few minutes, he shut the book and set it down, laying the pen on top. will looked up hopefully.

"done?" he asked, grinning. nico nodded, kissing will's forehead. he laid down, and will eagerly shifted so nico's head rested against his neck. nico closed his eyes.

"i love you, will."

"love you too, neeks."

nico didn't stop him from calling him 'neeks'. instead he just laughed, looked up, and kissed him. 

\--

when will's eyes opened again, he was alone.

sunlight streamed through the windows. will glanced at the clock. 12:55 p.m. shit.

he reached over and grabbed his phone. there were texts- from lots of people.

lightning mcclean: hey bro wya

lightning mcclean: srsly dude we're getting worried ur never l8

angel(o): hey? you alright? piper's husband jason shares our 3rd period and he says that you're never this late

angel(o): bro

pipes: will

pipes: hey

unknown: heeeyeyyyyyyeyeeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeye

unknown: neeks gave me ur numberrrrr 

unknown: he said id annoy u so much youd havbe 2 replyyy

unknown: btw im leo

unknown: valsex

unknown: VALDEZ

unknown: VALDEZ

unknown: i meant valdez

unknown: hey bro? you goid?

unknown: bruh u dead??????

(contact name changed to: valsex)

will: yea actually i am thx for asking

valsex: AYO

valsex: HE LIVES

valsex: brb gotta tell da boys

will sighed at his phone.

will: u do that bud

he got up and got changed, staring at his face in the mirror a good while after that. his phone buzzed in his hand. he checked the notification.

angel(o): oh thank the gods. leo just texted the gc- you're okay?

will: yea, im good

angel(o): you scared the shit out of me, asshole

will chuckled. his heart was racing even more than it usually did when nico texted. the word "soulmate" echoed in his ears, swimming around in his head. he was texting his soulmate right now. had aphrodite told nico too? did he know? would he believe will if he said anything?

will: tmi

angel(o): oh fuck off

angel(o): get out here, i've been waiting at our table for like ten minutes. i even got you an original monster since you said you wanted to try one. it's getting warm

will: b out in 5

angel(o): dickhead. make me worry about your life and then wait another five fuckin minutes

will: fine, 3 mins

angel(o): one

will: i cant get all the way over there in 1 min

angel(o): you're gonna have to

will: fuck u

angel(o): fuck me yourself

will dropped his phone. his heart was pounding. "it was a joke, idiot," he muttered to himself. "that's his humor, he's just- he's joking."

angel(o): dude? did i scare you off or something?

will: can i call u neeks

angel(o): no

will: just 4 2day

will: pwease

angel(o): yes, for today, on one condition

will: wat?

angel(o): never fucking say 'pwease' again

will laughed, grinning at his phone screen. he jogged out of his house and over to the campus.

will: deal

will: turn around

nico turned, his face lighting up when he saw will. he grinned, baring his fangs, and then charged at him. before he could react, will was tackled into a hug by a man a foot shorter than him. he laughed, putting his arms around nico.

"hey, neeks."


	7. seven - "we're what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, fun fact! i was like 700 words into this and then my keyboard malfunctioned and cut all of them while i was in the middle of typing, so i just lost all of that. hhhhHHHHHHHHHHHH. anyways, enjoy please this was so fuckin difficult and for WHAT  
> anyways MORE PLATONIC LEO X NICO HEYO

"going camping!" leo grinned. "together! over spring break!"

he had brought everyone he knew. nico, will, piper, jason, percy, annabeth, hazel, frank, even his brother beckendorf and his brother's partners: silena, clarisse, and chris.

"why?" was nico's first question. he wasn't big on the outdoors, really. silena nodded.

"i mean, we've been through worse." leo shrugged. jason nodded in agreement.

it took a while, but eventually they took a vote and decided to go. to will's surprise, nico actually ended up voting on going.

"i've been through tartarus," he said casually, raising his hand, "i guess a week outside isn't too bad."

"you WHAT?" will asked, his eyes wide. his hand dropped from the air as he stared at the side of nico's face. nico felt his throat tighten. he pulled his hood over his face so that will couldn't see his face, but he still felt the blonde's stare.

"calm down, scemo," nico said meekly, "it was a while ago. i'm fine."

that was a lie. he wasn't fine at all. he still had nightmares about it.

leo seemed to sense nico's distress. he swept in, saving him before will could further question him. "well, i mean, yeah! like i said, we have all been through worse. plus, i know that there's a few of you who don't really like people, so being alone at a campsite with people you already trust would be really good!" 

the thought of that comforted nico. he relaxed, looking up at leo and smiling.

"and," leo continued, "we can divide the tents up based on relationships! like, percy and annabeth get one, jason and piper get one, nico and will get one, y'know."

the thought of THAT gave nico more dread than staring into the styx.

he bit down hard on his lip, looking at the ground again. 

will wasn't exactly stoked about it either, but he played it off way better than nico. "sounds great! right, my love?"

"yeah." nico said gently, looking into will's eyes and smiling lightly. "yeah, cuore mio, it sounds lovely."

annabeth made a face at the nickname nico used- she acted like it was one of the cutest things she'd heard him say. which, to be fair, it probably was. she had been learning italian, partially for nico, partially out of boredom- so it was no surprise she understood.

the group discussed the meetup, the campsite, and who gets which tent, and then they split up to pack.

\--

nico was panicking. he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. his gaze was fixed on his binder. how the hades was he supposed to share a tent with will for a week without will finding out about his secret? surely there was a way that didn't involve him just wearing it for a week.

will, believe it or not, was also panicking. his crush on nico had only grown since aphrodite showed him their future, and now he was going to spend a week sharing a tent with him, alone. holy shit. holy SHIT. how was he supposed to get through this? like, don't get him wrong, he was SUPER excited about it. but he knew nico didn't feel the same. call him cute pet names, act like he was in love, whatever the fuck. nico just didn't feel the same right now. and, despite aphrodite's gift, he felt like nico never really would.

he sighed, raked his hands through his hair, and pulled out his phone. he almost wanted to text nico and just tell him upfront about his crush. but, surprisingly, nico texted first.

angel(o): hey

angel(o): i'm really nervous about the camping thing, so please just hear me out about what i'm about to say. and please don't ask me questions right now, okay?

will: of course

will: wat's up?

angel(o): while we're on the trip, you're probably gonna find out some things about me you didn't know. and i'm sorry for not telling you about them sooner, but i just wasn't ready. to be honest, i'm still not ready, but there's no way to 100% stop it.

will: ok

will: i dont judge btw, nico

will: as long as u r not getting hurt or hurting other ppl i wont care

angel(o): yeah, piper told me that about you.

angel(o): it made me a little less nervous knowing you wouldn't hurt me.

will: hurt u?

will: y would i hurt u?

angel(o): it's happened before.

will: ppl have hurt u over this shit before???

angel(o): jesus, i just said that. pay attention.

angel(o): anyways, that's really all i wanted to say about that, but i do think we should discuss boundaries.

will stared at his phone. he didn't want to drop the topic nico had brought up, but nico clearly didn't want to keep talking about it. and boundaries were important...

will: yea, ok

will: watd u have in mind abt the rules we should set up

nico: well, we're gonna have to pretend we're a couple a lot more than usual

nico: so like, just boundaries on pda i suppose

will: o

will: i mean makes sense

will: im fine with everything tbh, i dont mind much

nico: oh

nico: i'm a bit more caged up than you lmao

will: no prob no prob!! wats ur line?

nico: well, nothing sexual, first of all. like i said, i usually don't like being touched, but i'll make exceptions for like hugs and forehead kisses i guess. only this week though. and as for lip kisses, i don't really know. i mean, i guess if we end up kissing i'll have to see how i feel after the fact

will's heart lept into his throat. he stared at that last text for a solid minute. had nico just basically given him a pass to kiss him at least once? and even if it was only once, will could still hug him and kiss his forehead practically whenever he wanted. for a WEEK. was this even real?

will: ok koolio

will: so dats all then?

nico: uh, yeah. i gotta pack, so. goodnight, i'll see you tomorrow.

will: can i sit next 2 u on the way there??

nico: sure

will: ok gn

nico: lmao okay? goodnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation for nico
> 
> scemo - fool
> 
> cuore mio - my heart


End file.
